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Seeking software/spreadsheet for non-timed derby

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:38 pm
by sigurd
Hi,

We run a Derby with some 100 cars on a 4-lane, non-timed track, and are looking for suitable race management software/spreadsheet. No integration with timer is necessary - freestanding PC, only.

In this NG I found this link:

http://home1.gte.net/res06xo8/pine.htm

Any other packages (commercial/share/free) that might suit our objective better?

Thanks,
Sigurd

Re: Seeking software/spreadsheet for non-timed derby

Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2004 10:08 pm
by Stan Pope
Drop "Cory" an email. I think that I recall him saying that he had a strong spreadsheet that would be adaptable.

Re: Seeking software/spreadsheet for non-timed derby

Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 9:20 am
by gpraceman
sigurd wrote:Any other packages (commercial/share/free) that might suit our objective better?
You can check out those listed at http://grandprix-race-central.com/gpmanager.htm

Re: Seeking software/spreadsheet for non-timed derby

Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:17 pm
by scoutmom3149
I tried that web site you posted above with the pine4 and pine3 excel spread sheet. The problem I found with that is only capable of having multiples of 4 scouts. Otherwise it has scouts with a bye race. that didn't seem fair to me.
I have incorperated that idea and created an excel spreadsheet that can handle 15-50 racers. It uses the partial perfect method from Young & Popes website. If you are interested I have a few done I will have many more done by the end of the month. Let me know and I can e-mail you the one we used this year.

Re: Seeking software/spreadsheet for non-timed derby

Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 7:01 pm
by Stan Pope
Cory Young has constructed a generic Excel spreadsheet that invokes the dll to construct the pairings. I've not seen him refuse to share it. :)

Wholesale copying of chart layouts creates a couple of problems ... (1) some folks are protective of their copyright and (2) you isolate yourself from chart improvements or corrections that are likely to come in the future.

With "cpn" and "pn" charts, byes are a very small issue, since everyone races each bye the same number of times. I'd race a 13 car PN chart with a bye rather than a 12-car PPN chart.

A bye in a "ppn" chart is better than no byes in a "misc" chart, i.e. one of the few cars-lanes-rounds combinations that will not produce even a ppn chart.

Re: Seeking software/spreadsheet for non-timed derby

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:40 am
by Cory
Stan Pope wrote:Cory Young has constructed a generic Excel spreadsheet that invokes the dll to construct the pairings. I've not seen him refuse to share it. :)
Now that you mention it...

With the help of a friend and fellow pinehead (known on this site simply as "Mike") this spreadsheet is now in the sort-of-ready-for-primetime category.

It is a poor man's Race Manager with limited functionality. But what it does do it does pretty well, with its "complete view of the heats" and "automatic score-keeping" and except for the PPN dynamic link library, the code is extensible by anyone with programming skills.

In particular, I could certainly see adding the ability to talk/listen to serial timers via the MSCOMM32.OCX ActiveX control. As a first step, this would at least allow automatic entry of finish places. Taking it further, the system could be enhanced to allow time-based (instead of points-based) scoring.

I'll probably post this software at some point, but if anyone wants it now please drop me an email.

C.